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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921070">Far Too Cute To Be Anything But Naughty</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyand/pseuds/hollyand'>hollyand</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Accidental Bonding, Accidentally Setting The Bed On Fire During Sex, Body Worship, Dragon Age II - Act 3, Dragon Age II - Mark of the Assassin DLC, F/M, It's canon that Merrill is sexually curious and adventurous, Love Confessions, Silence Kink, Templar Carver Hawke, Templar Kink, Vaginal Sex, Woman on Top</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:02:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,420</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29921070</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyand/pseuds/hollyand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Merrill discovers she has a templar kink, where she gets off on being Silenced or having her mana drained. Since no-one else seems to want to do “dirty things” with her, she decides Carver will be the man to indulge her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carver Hawke/Merrill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Nobody Expects the Dragon Age Smutquisition</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Silenced</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlatron/gifts">Charlatron</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Smutquisition, Charlatron! I hope you like this! This fic was inspired by "<a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/2360381">Silenced</a>" by Todisturbtheuniverse (Alistair/Bethany where both are Grey Wardens) as I always wanted to write a Carver/Merrill version with a similar kink.</p><p>Title adapted from what Carver says about Tallis during the <i>Mark of the Assassin</i> DLC: “The first time we saw her, I knew she was trouble. Far too cute to be anything but evil.”</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Like most things in her life, Merrill discovered this one completely by accident.</p><p>Usually Merrill found things out by getting hopelessly lost in Kirkwall, and ending up in places where she wasn’t supposed to be. The humans often said “curiosity killed the cat” – but thankfully Merrill seemed to have nine lives, and had so far managed to escape from even some quite risky situations completely unharmed.</p><p>Isabela, of course, had nicknamed her Kitten – but Merrill had now been in Kirkwall long enough that she was not the kitten-like, wide-eyed innocent she used to be; and, as much as she loved listening to Isabela’s wild stories of her sexual exploits, Merrill wished dearly that <em>she</em> could experience some wild sexy times of her own. Merrill <em>wanted</em> to get her claws into someone… if only someone would let her.</p><p>It was <em>so</em> frustrating! Among the people she knew best, or liked best, it was highly unlikely to ever happen. Isabela and Garrett Hawke were <em>nice</em> to her, sure, but they clearly saw her as nothing more than a naïve, cute little sister, never to be corrupted. Varric was kind, but his mind and heart were elsewhere; Aveline was occupied with her new husband Donnic; Sebastian had taken a vow of chastity, and Anders and Fenris didn’t like her very much.</p><p>Creators, even when she’d got lost and ended up in Anders’s clinic that one time, she’d found his grimoire and got the bright idea to look in it for dirty spells to make things more exciting for herself. If this had been one of Isabela’s novels – or even Isabela’s own <em>friend-fiction</em> – Anders would have appeared, caught her looking up dirty spells, and exciting dirty things might have happened. However, this <em>wasn’t </em>Isabela’s erotic fiction, so nothing happened at all.</p><p>And it wasn’t like Merrill could look beyond the people she knew best, either. Her clan left Sundermount after the Keeper died, the alienage largely ignored her; and the Qunari – who had been nice to look at even if they didn’t <em>say</em> much – had departed Kirkwall in disgrace after Hawke killed their Arishok. The Blooming Rose was <em>probably</em> an option, but Merrill felt uncomfortable in there even when on missions with Hawke.  </p><p>But if curiosity had supposedly killed the cat, it hadn’t harmed Merrill; and eventually, her curiosity – and her propensity to walk into places she shouldn’t – was always going to turn up a new discovery in the end.  </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><em>This</em> particular discovery happened when Merrill accompanied Garrett Hawke to Chateau Haine, supposedly to help an elf called Tallis steal a jewel called the Heart of the Many. Merrill had been <em>so</em> glad to get out of Kirkwall – she’d been starting to think everything looked alike. The fresh air on her upturned face, the green leaves and grass on the (surprisingly) lush mountainside, the sunshine dappling through the trees… it had been just what Merrill needed, and it was nice to get away from the city and leave her troubles behind for once. (Knowing her friend Hawke, she was about to get into <em>new</em> trouble, but that was beside the point.)</p><p>Merrill wasn’t <em>sure</em> that she particularly wanted to go on a wyvern hunt, and according to Duke Prosper, Hawke hadn’t sounded keen on it at last night’s banquet – but Tallis had been very insistent that they should hunt, to fit in and “not look suspicious”, and was insistent that they win by being the first to kill a wyvern.</p><p>“But we already have an Amell,” Duke Prosper told Hawke when he showed up, Merrill and Tallis trotting behind him. “Or a Hawke, I should say. And one of the Templar Order, no less. Although I can’t say I’m impressed.”</p><p>“Brother!” called out a surprised male voice, and Merrill spun round to see a tall, strapping, dark-haired man, clad in Knight-Corporal armour, striding over to them – and her heart leapt into her throat.</p><p><em>Carver Hawke</em>.</p><p>Merrill could barely register the Duke suggesting they team up to avoid the appearance of collusion between parties, so occupied was she in staring at him in astonishment. He started when he saw her; he was clearly even more taken aback by <em>her</em> presence than he was by his brother’s.</p><p>“Hello!” Merrill chirped brightly at him, waving happily to cover up her confusion; and Carver’s surly attitude towards the Orlesian Duke’s address to him and his brother seemed to melt, and he gave her a small, grateful smile.</p><p>“Hey Merrill,” he answered, gently. “It’s – it’s good to see you.” He looked her up and down, just a quick, barely noticeable flick of his blue eyes, almost involuntarily. “It’s <em>really</em> good to see you again.”</p><p>“I know!” Merrill answered brightly. “Creators, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you last. Years, in fact.” She took him in – he’d <em>definitely</em> bulked up in that time, and he’d already been fairly strong and muscular (and bigger than Hawke) even <em>before</em> he joined the templars. “I don’t know if it’s your armour making you bigger, but I think you’ve grown! You’re almost as huge as a Qunari now!”</p><p>Carver reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Merrill,” he chuckled, and his voice sounded so fond it made her blush. “You haven’t changed a bit.”</p><p>Merrill was glad that Hawke and Tallis interrupted her, then, because she didn’t know what to say to that.</p><p>Talking to Carver had always been more difficult than it should have been. Before he joined the templars, she’d <em>really tried</em>. But he’d always seemed awkward around her – and flustered for some reason she couldn’t work out – and it made her worried she’d said something wrong around him. Especially when she kept asking him if she’d “missed a dirty thing”, and he was adamant that he hadn’t said anything dirty at all (but that didn’t stop him going bright red when he was denying it). Humans were <em>very</em> strange, decided Merrill; and Carver was probably stranger than most of them – his brother was <em>much</em> easier to understand.</p><p>It was a pity, thought Merrill, because he was very nice to look at. The intervening years had only made him more handsome, and more sure of himself, yet he still seemed so unsure around her, and it made Merrill wonder what she kept doing wrong.</p><p>In <em>theory</em> they should have got on <em>very</em> well – they were both outsiders, determined to follow their own path and find their purpose and do what they believed was right even if nobody else supported them. He was unfailingly loyal to his loved ones – his family – just like Merrill had been to her clan until they left. Merrill had never found Carver to be the surly, angry young man everyone said he was – if anything he seemed to actually <em>want</em> to talk to her, to get to know her; he was even nice to her… but then she’d always ruin it by wondering aloud if she’d missed him telling her dirty things (a girl could hope). And then he’d blush and subside into silence, never to speak to her again… but stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.</p><p>She <em>really</em> didn’t understand him.</p><p>Still, as disappointed as Merrill had been, back then, that Carver <em>hadn’t</em> been trying to tell her something dirty (and she was <em>so sure</em> she’d missed something; she often <em>did</em> miss things), it didn’t stop her spending a lot of time watching him wielding his sword and admiring his skills in battle. Being a mage meant that she could stand far back from any fight and still contribute, all while watching everyone else. Even if Merrill wasn’t sure he liked her much, she could still do <em>that</em>. She was looking forward to doing it again now that Carver was fighting alongside them again, and observing whether Carver had become the best sworder in Kirkwall after all.</p><p>But when she got the opportunity, however, there was one problem: before they even got round to hunting the wyvern – while they were still collecting bait for the creature – Hawke <em>had</em> to mess around with a mysterious abandoned altar in the castle’s grounds, his curiosity having been piqued by a strange man they’d found wandering through the woods in only his small-clothes, claiming to be looking for a shrine belonging to the Cult of the Sky.</p><p>The altar’s treasures faded into view, emanating an eerie sound; and as Hawke tried to unlock the chest that had appeared, the altar exploded, knocking all of them back. Merrill watched in dismay as a large, elaborately ugly arcane horror rose from the ground with a scream.</p><p>“Summoned a Horror,” Hawke sighed, rolling his eyes and unslinging his staff. “Of course I did.”</p><p>“I told you not to mess around with it!” Tallis shouted somewhat pointlessly, while Merrill frantically looked around her at the tiny enclosed space they were in. Between the Sky Horror and the cultists that had emerged, there was nowhere for her to run and stand back from the thick of the fight while she cast her spells.</p><p>The battle was long and arduous. She could see Hawke having the same problem with lack of space, though he was at least far more of a mêlée fighter than Merrill: as elegant and powerful as his magic was, it didn’t stop him punching one of the Sky Cultists in the face when they got too close – and the force of his fist, powered by an unusually muscular mage-arm, was enough to knock his enemy down permanently.</p><p>Merrill, like most mages, wasn’t as strong or brawny as the Hawke brothers, so she was forced to rely on her magic. She dodged Hawke’s fireballs and Tallis’s knife-throwing, froze her enemies in place around her while trying not to hit anyone on her own side; and when the Sky Horror loomed in front of the exit – surely it wouldn’t take much before they could defeat it now – it was up to her to interrupt its spell-casting. Someone else with more mana or stamina could finish it off; she didn’t have enough left in her to shoot a spirit-bolt or lightning at it.</p><p><em>Dispel</em>, Merrill thought as she darted towards the Sky Horror for a better aim, relishing the feeling of her magic as she channelled the power of the Fade into her long, slender fingers.</p><p>What Merrill <em>didn’t</em> see was a nearby Sky Priest, getting ready to blast her with his own staff now that she’d strayed into his path.</p><p>“Watch out!” Carver yelled, and it was only after Merrill released Dispel on the Sky Horror that she realised that Carver was shouting at <em>her</em>. Horrified, she turned with her staff raised in a vain hope that she could fend off any ambush – but before she could hex her opponent, she was suddenly hit with a wave of whatever it was Carver tried to cast on her would-be attacker.</p><p>The Sky Priest’s magic was snuffed out in his hands, and Carver sliced him down with a bellow of rage, sword flashing white in the sunlight; but Merrill suddenly found she couldn’t access her mana. The harder she scrabbled for her magic, the more desperately she tried, the more she felt some force denying her – the same force bonding her to Carver – and instead of panicking like she should have done, she felt oddly light and free… and… was that <em>arousal?</em></p><p>Merrill could barely register what was going on around her, so disoriented was she – the entire world, all its noise, all its riotous colour, was muffled, muted; her senses replaced by new emotions and sensations. Somewhere deep inside her, she was terrified at being cut off from her connection to the Fade, alarmed at being unable to access her magic for the first time ever in her memory… yet these feelings seemed so dim and distant when compared to the stirring in her groin, and the <em>need</em> to seek relief and pleasure from the templar who had caused it.</p><p>Being powerless had never felt so exquisite.</p><p>Oh, she could draw her knife on herself and fuel herself that way – as a blood mage she had <em>options</em> – but she didn’t want to; she was enjoying this invisible shroud surrounding and cushioning her too much, criss-crossing her body with gentle, invisible chains that tied her to him, making her body sing with a sensation that was definitely <em>not</em> her magic.</p><p>Merrill fell backwards and landed with a <em>thump</em> on her backside, dazed and curious, the roar of battle dim around her – and as the power that Carver had over her started to ebb, the guilt at her lack of contribution to the fight started to rise.</p><p>“Merrill,” Carver called to her after it was all over, dropping his sword and gauntlets to the ground with a clatter and running over to where she was. He sounded concerned – fraught, even. “Are you OK? Are you hurt?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Merrill lied, as he crouched down beside her. His worried face finally swam into view, flushed with exertion after the battle they’d just fought; and he looked so handsome it was hard for her to remember why she <em>wasn’t</em> meant to be turned on by him. Sunlight haloed around his dark hair, and his eyes were as blue as the warm sky above them. He must be <em>hot</em> in all that metal templar armour, she thought. “By the Creators, Carver. What was that—that <em>thing</em> you cast?”</p><p>“A Silence,” Carver explained. “A templar power I learned in the Order. I’m so sorry, Merrill. I meant to hit the bastard who was about to hurt you with whatever spell he was gonna use and—’ he hesitated, staring so intently at Merrill that it made her blush all over again, “—I suppose I got <em>you</em> as well by accident.”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Merrill insisted again, as Carver took her small, slender hands in his, dwarfing them by his huge size. His thumbs stroked pleasant circles on the back of her hands, and it startled her so much she couldn’t say anything else.</p><p>“Well,” he eventually said, voice as gentle as his touch, as she stared at him, wide-eyed and confused. “Let me help you up, then.”</p><p>Merrill nodded, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. When she stood up, Hawke was smirking and exchanging glances with Tallis, and Carver’s large face seemed redder than it had been already. He wouldn’t look at her after he dropped her hands from his, busying himself in retrieving his sword and putting his gauntlets back on. Her head was brimming with so many questions, but it was difficult to know which one to ask. The stirring in her groin was simmering down, the desire and arousal slowly subsided as the flame of her magic rekindled inside her; but Merrill was still wet down there… and more frustrated than she was already.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Murmur</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hawke was the first to slay a wyvern. It had enraged some Orlesian nobleman called Baron Arlange (Merrill had no idea grown men stamped their feet and declared something was “Mine! Mine! Mine!” – she’d always thought it was a thing small children did), but a part of Merrill couldn’t help being glad the hunt was over. As much as she enjoyed being out in the sunshine and in nature all over again – she <em>was </em>Dalish, after all – the atmosphere between herself and Carver after the earlier incident had grown so awkward, so charged, that she desperately wanted some time and space on her own, if only to <em>breathe</em>, and compose herself.</p><p>The Silence thing had never actually happened to Merrill before – possibly because she spent most of her time in Kirkwall <em>avoiding</em> templars, rather than going near them. Merrill dreaded to know if that was something that happened every time a templar Silenced a mage. She resolved to be extra careful when she got back to the city.  </p><p>Merrill had made sure she stood far back from any battle after they’d eliminated the Sky Cultists, but that only gave her plenty of opportunity to watch Carver wielding his sword, and admire how he fought… and, perhaps, how he fucked. And that was <em>not</em> something she wanted to be thinking about a <em>templar</em>, of all people. Even if she was less wary of this templar than his colleagues, and even if she’d always found this man very attractive. It didn’t help that he kept glancing at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. Sometimes she returned his gaze, and he would quickly look away with a blush, and all it did was leave Merrill feel even more confused and disorientated than she did already.</p><p>Merrill sighed to herself. If she thought she’d left her loneliness behind in Kirkwall, it was determined to follow her here – and thanks to Carver and his Silence, she had a new reminder of her frustrations.  </p><p>“Don’t have a lot of respect for people who slaughter animals to make themselves feel better,” Carver said in distaste, as they trudged back to the chateau. Merrill couldn’t help agreeing with him – but since they had all just destroyed a wyvern to win some shiny prize from the Duke and for whatever Tallis was planning they’d help her with, it seemed a little late to admit it.</p><p>But she was desperate to say something – anything – to him, and she didn’t know what. She wondered if she should ask him if he thought she should dye her hair red – Tallis’s hair was a pretty shade of red, and Hawke had earlier been teasing Carver about a “red-headed lay sister with an Orlesian accent” at the Chantry in Lothering that Carver used to have a crush on. Perhaps Carver would appreciate it if she dyed her hair red. Or perhaps he wouldn’t, because she would still be Merrill, and nobody ever saw Merrill that way.</p><p>Perhaps she should talk about wyverns after all.  </p><p>“Do you think wyverns are hard to take care of?” Merrill finally asked him, as innocently and cheerily as she could manage.</p><p>He coloured a little at her question; but when he answered, he gave her such a serious look it made her knees a little weak. “You could tame it. Tame its wild heart.”</p><p>Why did he have to blush so much when she was around? Merrill wished he wouldn’t; it only made the heat rise in her own cheeks, and then she ended up babbling to cover it up. Before she could speak, however, Hawke burst out laughing.</p><p>“I – I’m sorry, I really am,” Hawke sniggered, but Merrill suspected he wasn’t <em>actually</em> that apologetic about interrupting them.</p><p>“<em>Quiet</em>, you,” Carver seethed, glaring at his brother; but Hawke and Tallis were already exchanging knowing glances, and it was up to Merrill to blurt something out so the embarrassment wasn’t worse.</p><p>“Where would you take it for walks?” she chirruped. “What if it got hungry and ate the neighbours?”</p><p>“And there goes the moment,” Carver sighed.</p><p>“That was <em>adorable</em>,” declared Tallis, and her amused grin made Merrill want to howl that she was <em>not</em> adorable, she was a grown woman with <em>needs</em> and yet everyone around her insisted on seeing her as some cute little kitten and she was fed up of it.</p><p>Instead, she said nothing, but watched the way Hawke and Tallis grinned at each other again, side-eyeing both her and Carver before walking on ahead. What was that all about?</p><p>Carver was hanging back and waiting for her, so Merrill had no choice but to walk with him for a bit. Maybe she should try and make conversation with him again.</p><p>“It’s so nice out here, isn’t it?” she chirped, after they’d walked awhile in awkward silence. “So pretty. And endlessly green.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he mumbled, quickly. “Like your eyes.”</p><p>Merrill stopped in her tracks in surprise. Carver didn’t look at her this time, but carried on walking, cheeks burning, and nothing more was said between them until they got to the chateau.  </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Hawke and Tallis decided they should split up for the rest of their mission, so Merrill was forced to accompany Carver to keep watch for chevaliers or guards. The party was held outside until sunset, and moved inside after dark.</p><p>Merrill wore a blood-red silk dress that matched her nail polish and clung to her figure with a satiny sheen (Isabela helped her purchase it, and advised on the red lipstick she now wore to go with the garment), while Carver was in blue finery which brought out the colour of his eyes. When he saw her, he gulped, and stared at her open-mouthed.</p><p>“Do I look alright?” she asked him nervously; she was already aware that her pointy ears were unwelcome at such a fancy Orlesian affair, and she didn’t want to look any more out of place than she already did.</p><p>“Perfect,” was all Carver replied. His gaze seemed to rove all over her before settling on her mouth, when his tongue darted out and moistened his lips. When Merrill smiled at him – she’d taken a long time perfecting her lipstick before she was finally happy with it – he inhaled sharply, and for a brief moment Merrill worried that he’d stopped breathing.</p><p>“Well, then,” she carried on, cheerfully. “Shall we join the party?”</p><p>He nodded, and held out his arm for Merrill to take and walk down to the chateau courtyard with him.</p><p>Neither of them proved any good at making polite conversation with the snooty nobles that were present. Carver made it obvious he disliked being around Orlesian aristocrats, while Merrill spent much of her time worrying that she would use the wrong fork and accidentally stab someone with it. The only company Carver seemed to enjoy was hers – which suited Merrill fine, because she didn’t seem to get on with anyone else at this fancy affair either.</p><p>It wasn’t even as if the food was good. The Antivan olives were nice, but the smoked ham from the Anderfels tasted of despair – and the cheese tasted of sorrow. Above the murmur of the guests, Duke Prosper’s pet wyvern Leopold was in a cage screaming at anyone who came near, and Merrill found herself yearning for when the party was over, and Hawke and Tallis completed their mission and they could all go home.  </p><p>It wasn’t the only reason she wished the party would be over. The longer she spent in Carver’s presence, the easier it got to talk to him – and the more bewildered and muddled she felt. She felt upset without <em>being</em> upset, she felt unbalanced and yet like she was teetering on a tightrope, on a cliff-edge, trying not to fall off, and yet… she was having a <em>wonderful</em> time, like she was walking in the clouds, and never wanted it to end.</p><p>Carver’s hands were large and brushed against hers a lot – his bulk was <em>enormous</em> against her slender frame – and somehow Merrill often found her body in contact with his in some way, with some sort of current flowing between them; and as the evening wore on, and the wine started to flow, she got more daring, placing her hands not just on the crook of his proferred elbow but on his forearm, his back, around his bicep, even steadying herself against his muscular chest and stomach at one point. </p><p>Carver was hesitant and awkward at first, but after some wine even <em>he</em> started to relax, hands on Merrill’s body as much as hers were on his. Sometime late in the evening, when darkness had fallen and the festivities had moved inside Chateau Haine some time ago, he ran one hand down her back, down the smooth red silk, stopping just short of her bottom, and Merrill sighed happily.</p><p>“Mmmm,” she murmured, eyes closed, one of her hands in his other hand, so small in his, “this is <em>so</em> nice, Carver. It’s been so lovely seeing you again.”</p><p>“It has,” he agreed, lips suddenly close enough to her ear that she could feel his warm breath as he spoke, and it made her shiver pleasantly, “I’ve missed you in Kirkwall all these years, Merrill…”</p><p>Merrill smiled to herself, breathing him in, smelling the wine on his breath as she turned her head in his direction, when her eyes suddenly flew open as a thought struck her.</p><p>“Carver,” she started, panicked. “Where’s Hawke? Where’s Tallis? They were supposed to rejoin us hours ago.”</p><p>Whatever charged atmosphere had built up between them dissipated at once.</p><p>Carver stepped back, the spell between them broken, his face a picture of shock and disappointment. “I – don’t know,” he stammered. “Merrill. Maybe we should worry about them in the morning? It’s my brother, after all – I’m sure he’s fine.”</p><p>“But what if he’s not?” Anxiety rose within her; as nice and warm as it was being wrapped up in Carver, intoxicated on both sweet wine and his scent and this almost-electric chemistry flowing between them, what if Hawke needed them?</p><p>Carver stepped away from her now, his face sullen, and Merrill’s body felt cold without his own near her. “We’ll sleep on it, then,” he said, curtly, and not without a touch of frustration. “See if they’re back by the morning, and if they’re not, we’ll go and look for them.”</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Hawke and Tallis were <em>not</em> back by the morning, nor were they by the afternoon. There was nothing for it; Carver and Merrill had to team up and rescue them.</p><p>“Let’s search this library,” Carver suggested, as he and Merrill entered a room filled to the brim with old, musty books on an endless number of old, wooden bookcases. A hush descended on them as they arrived, and Carver’s voice sounded loud in the quiet. “Maybe there’s a map or something with the layout of the chateau that we can use.”</p><p>Merrill nodded in agreement. Carver went to search one end of the library, while Merrill searched the other; and as she was idly skimming the titles on the bookshelf, she came across some notes scribbled on a nearby table.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>SILENCE</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A templar power, gained through regular ingestion of lyrium and specialised training. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Effects: The templar surrounds a foe in negative energy, preventing the enemy from activating abilities for a short time. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Other notes: It has been rumoured by some Orlesian scholars that casting Silence can cause strange sensations if a mutual attraction exists. Silencees have apparently reported feeling some sort of “bonding” involving heightened arousal directed at the templar that Silenced them, and vice versa. It seems this effect is rare, but is more intense if the Silencee is a mage. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve found something,” Carver shouted, and Merrill jumped and dropped the note with a squeak. Her heart was thumping and her head was swimming. Taking deep breaths to calm herself before he rejoined her, Merrill leaned against a nearby bookcase, trying to process what she learned.</p><p>…<em>Silence can cause strange sensations if a mutual attraction exists</em>…</p><p>…<em>if a mutual attraction exists</em>.</p><p>“What have you found?” she called out in a shaky voice.</p><p>“A map of the chateau,” he answered triumphantly, coming into view, before stopping dead. “Merrill. Are you alright?”</p><p>“Me?” she warbled, far too quickly. “Of course! I’m fine! Why would I not be?”</p><p>“You look pale,” he said, walking over to her, hand held out in concern, but Merrill laughed uneasily and sprang forward – away from the table with the incriminating note on it – and away from him.</p><p>“I’m fine! I’m just worried about your brother, that’s all. But if you’ve found a map, that’s good! We can rescue them now. And I’m babbling, let’s go.”</p><p>As it happened, taking a map with them <em>didn’t</em> help, although it did at least give Merrill something else to concentrate on and quiet her mind for a bit. Merrill’s sense of direction was poor, Carver complained his own sense of direction “wasn’t as good as his brother’s,” and once they were out of the stone confines of the main chateau – with its plush red runner-carpets and fancy gold Orlesian sculptures – and in the dungeons, everything started to look alike. Which didn’t help. Merrill swore they passed the same cracked tile nine times, and it was only on that final time that Carver admitted defeat.</p><p>“And we’re lost together,” Carver said. “Both of us,” he added, before seemingly realising the implications of what he said, “n–not that we’re ‘together’ together.”</p><p>Merrill couldn’t help smiling to herself. The old her would have been confused by his behaviour again, wondering if she’d said something wrong or missed something dirty again. But armed with what she’d discovered, she finally understood his awkwardness and the reason for it.</p><p>If he was still so muddled by her after all these years, then she was going to have fun with it.</p><p>“If we have to be lost somewhere, at least it’s a nice hallway,” she said, cheerfully deadpan, giving no hint that she was teasing him. “Very well-built, not at all likely to collapse.”</p><p>Carver looked utterly baffled, and for a few seconds he was at a loss what to say.</p><p>“Right,” he eventually said. “Well, back to rescuing… Wait. You’re doing that on purpose!”</p><p>Merrill giggled; she couldn’t help herself. She ran down the cold, grey hallway, and Carver ran after her.</p><p>“Merrill—” he started.</p><p>She turned around and smiled at him, all wide-eyed innocence. “What?”</p><p>“I…” But then Carver stopped himself, as his gaze fell on something behind her. “Oh, look, there’s my brother. And Tallis. Safe and sound.”</p>
<hr/><p>  </p><p>“The first time we saw her, I knew she was trouble,” Carver had grumbled, after Tallis was revealed to be a Qunari. “Far too cute to be anything but evil.” Merrill couldn’t help wondering if he’d say something similar about her.</p><p>But now Tallis had left them, melted into the forest to Creators-knew-where, after the Heart of the Many turned out <em>not</em> to be a jewel after all; and her actions caused Duke Prosper to attack them, riding Leopold. Hawke, of course – with his excellent sense of dramatic timing and good hair – proved victorious in battle once again, and the Duke was defeated and fell off a cliff to his death, sparking a major international incident and embroiling the Champion of Kirkwall in a diplomatic scandal once again.</p><p>Hawke seemed unusually jaunty about the chaos he’d caused – Merrill supposed he was used to it by now – but despite his hurry to get away from the scene of his latest crime, Merrill had one more thing she had to do before she left.</p><p><em>If a mutual attraction exists</em>.</p><p>It definitely existed. It <em>had</em> to. Not just on her part, but on <em>his</em> too, or that wouldn’t have happened when he Silenced her.</p><p>Had that meant he felt it too, then?</p><p>“Carver,” Merrill asked him, as they trotted away from the cliff-edge, “will you visit me when you get back to Kirkwall?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Roar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Carver!” Merrill beamed as she flung open the door to her home in the alienage; the templar was standing there at the agreed-upon time, smiling shyly at her. “Creators, I was so worried you wouldn’t come!”</p><p>“Hey Merrill,” Carver answered, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck (he seemed nervous, Merrill noticed). “I did promise you at Chateau Haine that I’d visit you if we made it back to Kirkwall alive. And – well.” He spread his arms slightly, almost as if he were offering her a hug. “I’m here.”</p><p>“You are,” she agreed, closing the door behind him. “Let me get you something to drink. I have tea now! And not just water. And I cleaned my house before you came.”</p><p>Merrill busied herself making tea for both of them, humming a Dalish lilt to herself all the way. She’d been looking forward to this, but now that Carver was actually here, she was as nervous as he was.</p><p><em>Stop this, Merrill</em>, she chided herself. <em>He wants you. You want him. All you have to do is… </em>talk<em> to him about it, and ask him to Silence you again</em>.</p><p>She could feel his blue eyes on her all the way, even when turned away from him; a deliberate glance into a silver tray propped up against the wall confirmed it, and she could see her own eyes reflected there too, green and cat-like and gleaming when she caught his yearning gaze directed at her back.</p><p>Once she'd brought the tea to the table and sat down opposite him, the topic soon turned to what had passed at Chateau Haine after they made brief and polite small talk.</p><p>“You were right about Tallis from the start,” Merrill observed. “She was definitely up to something, and more than we thought. ‘Far too cute to be anything but evil,’ I remember you telling your brother.”</p><p>Carver chuckled awkwardly. “Did I <em>really</em> say that?”</p><p>Merrill shrugged. “It’s better than being thought of as nothing more than a cute and innocent little kitten, I suppose.”</p><p>He raised his eyebrow at her, then, as if he somehow caught the frustration and annoyance behind her attempt at casual cheeriness. “Tallis didn’t call you that, did she?”</p><p>“No, but Isabela does. Not that I mind, but—” Merrill sighed. <em>Sometimes the only kitten I want to be is a sex kitten</em>, she wanted to say, but there were things they needed to talk about first. Which was why he was here in the first place, even if he didn’t know it yet.</p><p>But like a kitten, Merrill was ready to <em>pounce</em> – ready to get her claws into this man and <em>make</em> him have his way with her, after so long denied – but there was something he needed to know, and there was no other way she could do it except address it directly, no preamble.</p><p>“Carver,” she began, “when you – when you Silenced me, I felt… strange. Is that normal?”</p><p>He was eyeing her intently, and she could see his cheeks pink slightly; but this time, she rejoiced in it. “How exactly do you mean?”</p><p>“I don’t just mean I got cut off from my mana, although that <em>did</em> feel strange. I just…”</p><p>Merrill took a deep breath. She was going in for the kill.  </p><p>“It’s not normal for a mage to feel – I don’t know – sort of <em>bonded</em> to the templar that Silenced them, is it?”</p><p>He shifted in his chair and looked down at her hands. “I don’t think so, no.”</p><p>“And it’s not normal, is it? To feel…” Merrill lowered her voice, “<em>aroused</em>.”</p><p>Carver looked at her sharply. “So you felt it too.”</p><p>Merrill levelled her gaze right at him. Her green eyes met his blue ones, trying to communicate the weight of her discovery to him. “<em>Yes.</em> I did.”</p><p>“It’s <em>not</em> normal. As in, it’s never happened to me before – or if any mage felt it, they never told me. But I doubt they did.”</p><p>“Do you—” Merrill briefly examined her blood-red fingernails, an attempt to be casual. “Do you know why?”</p><p>“I don’t,” the templar admitted. “If I’m honest, Merrill, I’ve – I’ve been racking my brains ever since. All I can say is that I’m very sorry I made you feel that way; I thought it was just me that – <em>felt that</em> – and I was embarrassed enough about it. Made things hard in battle, actually,” he confessed, flushing deeper on the word <em>hard</em>. “But if I affected you as well, then – I’m really sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t be!” Merrill cried. “I don’t mind! Really I don’t! In fact… I liked it! I—” She had to tell him the truth now. “Actually, I saw a research note lying around in the library at Chateau Haine when we were looking for a map – it was an accident, really, and I hadn’t meant to look.” She paused. “The note – said it was a rare side-effect that comes about when…” and now it was <em>her</em> turn to look away, “…when there’s a – mutual attraction between the templar and the mage.”</p><p>There was a long silence.</p><p>“Am I – was the note wrong, Carver? It’s fine if it is, I just thought I’d tell you what it said. It might be all nonsense, of course, but I—”</p><p>“Merrill,” Carver finally said, and sighed. “<em>Maker</em>. I’m not good with words, but – well. I never knew how to tell you. And after I became a templar it was easier to stay away. Or, well, try to, given I was a templar and you’re—”</p><p>“Too cute to be anything but evil?” Merrill couldn’t resist supplying.</p><p>“I don’t think you’re evil at all, Merrill. I think you’re the most amazing woman in the world. You’re really nice – you’re beautiful, actually – and I…”</p><p>Merrill’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart fluttered, her stomach felt soft; and there was a curious warmth and happiness spreading through her. She got up, and slid into his lap, curling herself into him and allowing herself to be held by him for a while. Her own thin arms snaked around him, and she pressed her cheek against his hair, breathing him in.</p><p>“You don’t need to say anything more,” she assured him, gently, her mouth against his ear, feeling the heat from his now-reddened cheeks.</p><p>“I love you,” he blurted out, and she sat back to look at his earnest face. “Let me tell you <em>that</em> at least.”</p><p>Merrill smiled, and kissed him.</p><p>Sometimes words were unnecessary, and sometimes actions spoke louder than words – the humans had a saying that “silence is golden”, and right now, Merrill thought, silence was the best answer she could give. Carver’s lips responded, softly at first, hesitantly; but then it was as if he truly allowed himself to believe this was real, <em>this was happening</em>, and his kisses grew more fervent, more urgent.</p><p><em>Yes</em>, Merrill thought triumphantly, <em>this is everything I want</em>. If she wasn’t holding Carver – and being held by him, strong arms around her slender body, him so big where she was so small, she would have hugged herself in delight. She was amazed at herself; she didn’t think she had it in her to be so forthright, but if she hadn’t made the first move they would probably have danced around each other forever, never acknowledging the attraction that had always existed between them, but that only now did Merrill finally understand.</p><p>Empowered by this new self-knowledge, she parted the seam of his lips with her tongue, deepening the kiss, and Carver responded accordingly by opening up and capturing her tongue with his, low hums of approval as he did so. Merrill savoured the taste of him, the feel of his tongue, wet and soft and strong against hers, wanting her, <em>needing</em> her, claiming her.</p><p>Merrill never ever thought she’d fall for a templar, much less want him to use his powers on her – but it was different when the templar was Carver Hawke. A man who had never proved himself anything other than loyal and trustworthy – and, she belatedly realised, everything she wanted in a lover.</p><p>This had been worth waiting for.</p><p>“Car-ver,” Merrill said playfully, when she broke off the kiss, “I would really like to try being Silenced again, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>He chuckled, and kissed her again before replying. “Of course. As long as it won’t hurt or harm you though.”</p><p>“It won’t. And you won’t. I trust you.”</p><p>“Alright.” He took one of her hands in his, and lifted it to his face, reverently brushing her knuckles with his lips. “You realise what’s gonna happen when I do, though.”</p><p>“Dirty things, I hope,” Merrill giggled.</p><p>He chuckled again. “You always did want ‘dirty things’ from me, didn’t you?”</p><p>She laughed. “From now on, Ser Carver, you will tell me all the dirty things and do all the naughty things you were too shy to do before. I’ve waited for you long enough.”</p><p>“I can do that,” he grinned. “The bedroom might be better than this chair, though…”</p><p>Merrill practically skipped to the bedroom, so excited was she to start. Carver gently guided her to lie down on the bed, kneeling between her legs.</p><p>“You sure you want this, beautiful?” he asked her, one final time.</p><p>“<em>Yes</em>,” Merrill breathed, smiling up at him.</p><p>Carver placed his hands either side of her, holding each of her upper arms. He looked deep into her eyes, and muttered a quick prayer.</p><p>The Silence engulfed her, and made her body sing. Her magic was cut like strings from a puppet, and Merrill didn’t know if it was their proximity or their now-declared feelings for each other at last, but the invisible bond tying her to him was stronger than last time, and lust radiated from her groin through the rest of her.</p><p>Now that they weren’t in the heat of battle, she noticed new sensations she had not noticed before. Everything around her was muffled, muted, but Carver was <em>not</em>, the one solid, real thing she could see, feel, hear, full colour and sound. Gently, he peeled off her clothes like he was unwrapping the most precious gift he’d ever received, fabric soft as it brushed her body, her skin so sensitive without the thrum of her magic pulsing through her; until presently she lay naked before him, and he breathed in deeply as he revealed her at last.</p><p>“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, awestruck. “Breathe, Merrill – you’ll be alright…”</p><p>Merrill did as she was told, as Carver loomed over her, on top of her, all her senses tied to and focused on him, the one thing keeping her from floating away. His erection was tenting his trousers; she felt it brush her loins. Somewhere she could feel the tiniest flicker of her magic, pressing and poking against the wall of Silence that separated her from the Fade, and she reached for it out of curiosity, accidentally sparking him with the smallest electric current.</p><p>“I felt that,” Carver said, and Merrill suddenly felt the glimmer go dark again, as he cast a stronger, Lingering Silence on her. “This should hold better.”</p><p>Merrill tested it, and felt the force of him denying her again; the bond between them stronger, more intense, so much so that it was almost tangible, and her pussy moistened at the sensation of it.</p><p>“Can you feel that?” she asked.</p><p>“Yes,” he said.</p><p>“It’s beautiful,” she sighed.</p><p>“It is,” he agreed. “Maker, Merrill. I want to worship you all over.”</p><p>Merrill smiled, slid her hands up his thick arms, past his shoulders, to his face, and brought his head down for another kiss.</p><p>When Carver kissed his way down her jaw, down her neck, lips and tongue so gentle as he tasted her skin, Merrill couldn’t help sighing in pleasure. Being cut off from her magic heightened her senses pertaining to him, made everything much more intense without it; and every touch of his, every kiss of his, made her moan; and as he kissed and licked her breasts she arched her back and gasped.</p><p>“More,” she breathed.</p><p>Carver’s tongue circled her nipple obediently, first one, then the other; then he kissed one, then the other, with such awe and reverence that Merrill exclaimed to the Creators, even as she thanked them for giving her this man.</p><p>He might serve his Maker to the outside world, but right now he would serve her.</p><p>“I’m so wet,” she murmured, as he kissed his way down her cleavage and her stomach, gentle, adoring, relishing her body.</p><p>“You want me down there?” he murmured back against her belly; the vibration of his voice against her, the hot puff of his breath, almost made her wriggle and squeal in delight.</p><p>“Yes, <em>ma vhenan</em>.”</p><p>Carver chuckled, and carried on, lips soft against her skin, the tip of his nose brushing against her every time he paused to breath her in. Finally, finally, he reached her clit, and swiped it with his tongue before cherishing it with a kiss. Merrill hissed her pleasure, but when Carver settled himself into licking a pattern on her clit, the feeling of his long chin stroking her pussy when he broke off to lick a stripe from her hole back to her clit had her mewling and whimpering in delight – and when he pressed his tongue flat against her again she almost howled.</p><p>“<em>Ma vhenan</em>,” she cried out, as he lapped at her cunt, “Carver – <em>ohhhhhhh</em>!”</p><p>One more flick of his tongue sent her to her peak, and her orgasm shuddered through her body, Merrill yelling out in elvhen. Carver grabbed her legs and held her against him, tongue now firmly fucking her hole as she rode him. Merrill cried out and trembled in joy, thrills quaking through her from the epicentre of her clit to her legs, her breasts, her arms; every part of her yanking on the invisible chains connecting them both. Lacking her mana made Merrill’s climax that much more intense, as her body turned into an instrument of pure pleasure, having found its true purpose at last. When her orgasm fell away, a tide of bliss swept through her; and when the last aftershocks had died down, she heard Carver removing his trousers before bringing himself up to her face and kissed her, transferring her moisture from his lips to hers.</p><p>Merrill could feel his thick erection pushing against her wetness down there, his cock naked now, desperate to make his entrance, but he settled himself over her and busied himself in kisses before she instructed him otherwise.</p><p>“<em>Please</em>, Carver,” she begged him. “Fuck me.”</p><p>He looked surprised at hearing her say <em>fuck</em>, but it was only momentary, and he was soon chuckling at how naughty she was.</p><p>“Such a clever little temptress, aren’t you,” he laughed. “Pretending to be so cute and innocent so we don’t see how dirty you really are.”</p><p>Merrill sat up at that, and pushed Carver on his back on the bed. “I am <em>not</em> innocent,” she insisted, trying to sound bossy, but secretly giddy with enjoyment at the power she had over this templar, even after he’d used one of his powers on her. But Carver only chuckled and slid his hands around her waist, as she hovered above him, drinking in this beautiful man who wanted her as much as she wanted him. “You will fuck me, Carver Hawke, and you'll fill my pussy with your cum.”</p><p>“Alright. If you say so. Come on, then.”</p><p>Merrill sank down on his cock, and Carver groaned as he slid inside her. Merrill squirmed in delight; she felt so gloriously full, her walls stretched by his girth, and her squirming made Carver buck and hold on to her waist tighter. It was the sweetest relief when he began to move inside her, his thrusts gentle at first, up and into her, until Merrill decided to take charge and grind down on him in time with his own rhythm.</p><p>“Mmmmm,” Merrill sighed, feeling her arousal mounting for the second time, “<em>yes</em>. <em>Please</em>, Carver… I want you…”</p><p>Her pussy was so soaking wet and sensitive – it was the only sensation she felt, with her magic raging far away from her – she <em>needed</em> him to finish inside her.</p><p>Merrill reached down placed both her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, and rode him like her life depended on it; she wanted to come a second time before her magic came roaring back to life, surging back into her body and breaking her chains. She wanted to be connected to her templar as long as possible, to seal their bond with sex that was decidedly <em>not</em> silent – even if it began with a Silence.</p><p>Merrill moaned loudly as his cock drove into her; being mounted on templar cock never felt so good. Not that this had ever happened to her before, really, but there was something so delicious about being a blood mage on top of a templar, bouncing up and down on him, working her wet pussy up and down his shaft until he could resist her no more, and deliver his climax deep inside of her. Carver groaned, willingly trapped beneath her, and Merrill rode him so hard his own thrusts got wilder and harder just to keep up.   </p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>,” Carver choked out. “Merrill, you feel so <em>good</em>, I—”</p><p>Carver came inside her with a roar; and the feel of his warm cum in her hole sent Merrill over the edge for a second time. She cried out, ecstasy unfurling from her pussy for the second time that day, filled and fulfilled by her templar, their union reaching completion at last, as Carver pumped his seed into her.</p><p>The invisible wall separating her from her connection to the Fade broke, then, like a dam; and her magic came rushing back all at once, raging through her like a forest fire just after she reached her climax. Something about her mana coming back to her just at the crucial moment, made everything more intense, like her body had gone up in flames of the highest pleasure… but suddenly Carver yelped and threw his arm outwards, and it was like everything was doused out again.</p><p>“What happened?” blinked Merrill, still sat on his groin with his softening cock lodged inside her, pussy feeling even fuller than before with the volume of ejaculate he’d spurted into her. It felt good, being so full of cum; but she’d had the feeling that something happened without her realising it.</p><p>“I had to cast a Cleanse,” Carver panted, when he'd got his breath back. “The, um, bed started to catch fire.”</p><p>“Oh dear,” Merrill said. “I <em>was trying</em> to climax before my magic came back. I suppose I wasn’t as quick as I hoped.”</p><p>Carver huffed a laugh. “It doesn’t matter, Merrill. We both came before it happened. No harm done.” He pulled her onto him, and Merrill happily snuggled in his arms, post-coital afterglow making it too hard for her to care that she accidentally set the bed on fire during orgasm. “I still love you, Merrill. And I still think you’re amazing. <em>Better </em>than amazing, actually.” He chuckled. “Brought a whole new meaning to <em>in flagrante</em>, didn’t it?”</p><p>Now it was Merrill’s turn to laugh, and sigh happily in his arms, sexual bliss making her relaxed and content – and a new realisation dawned on her.</p><p>“I love you too,” she decided; and saying it out loud felt right. “You’ll come visit me soon, won’t you.”</p><p>Carver kissed her, gently, lovingly, before replying. “Of course I will. And maybe next time,” he added, as she kissed him back, “you can use one of <em>your</em> powers on <em>me</em>.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and kudos are always welcome and I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts! </p><p>Feel free to come say hello at <a href="https://hollyand-writes.tumblr.com">hollyand-writes.tumblr.com</a> - and check out the other excellent works from this year's <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/2021_smutquisition/works">"Nobody Expects the Dragon Age Smutquisition" Exchange</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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